War Emblem Filly Scores Big in Japan

Black Emblem, a daughter of Eclipse Award winner and dual classic winner War Emblem, scored the biggest win of her career when she won the Shuka Sho (Jpn-I) Oct. 19 at Kyoto for owner Kunio Tahara. The victory in the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies came over 17 rivals in time that missed the course record by three-tenths of a second. Black Emblem ran the 1 1/4 mile race in 1:58.40 and scored by a half-length at 28-1.

“We drew the No. 4 gate, so it was no problem getting Black Emblem settled on the rail," jockey Yasunari Iwata told The Daily Yomiuri. “We were able to save a lot of ground, and we were able to get a second wind before we got into the stretch run. We had a good rhythm.”

Black Emblem was named in honor of a half-sister, Royal Hunt (by Fusaichi Concorde), who was campaigned by Tahari and died of a heart attack during a race. Their dam, Vin de Noir, is by Hector Protector.

Black Emblem raced in the Oka Sho (One Thousand Guineas) and Yushun Himba (Jpn-I, Japanese Oaks), and the best she could manage was a fourth in the latter event. She started the year with two wins, including a score in the Flower Cup. She also won at 2.

Bred in Japan by Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm, Black Emblem sports a career record of four wins from nine starts and earnings of $1,614,700.

War Emblem, who won the 2002 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I), also is represented this year by Japanese stakes winners Shonan Alba and Air Pascale. The latter competed in the Shuka Sho, but ran unplaced.

War Emblem (Our Emblem—Sweetest Lady, by Lord At War) stands at the Yoshida family’s Shadai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido.